All-time great at Old Trafford. Hero in Italy. Scottish icon
IT’S one of life’s cruel ironies that a man who spent a lifetime creating magical memories for others should be struck by a disease that attacks his own.
The Lawman, the King, Denis the Menace. Some players are so good and so well loved, they get more than one nickname.
Denis Law has more than a few and every one of them affectionate for a player and a person who is revered as well as loved by thousands of fans he played for while admired and cherished by everyone else who watched him.
The news the Scotland legend is battling mixed dementia is another brutal blow at a time when numerous heroes from our game are being hit by the terrible illness.
Law will have support from his family and the football world. When bombshells drop like this, it gives fans of all ages time to reflect on his legacy.
Scotland’s joint-top all-time goalscorer. Manchester United alltime great. Hero in Italy. A proud son of Aberdeen.
Not bad for a small, skinny kid who grew up barely owning shoes and dealing with a squint.
Law was born with a gift but it was another present that set him on the path to greatness. The neighbour who gave him a pair of hand-me-down boots set off a remarkable chain of events that would take him to Huddersfield as a teenager, on to Man City for a record fee, another blockbuster move to Torino and yet another record transfer to Old Trafford, where he sealed his place as a club legend.
Law is the only Scot to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or after his heroics at United in their titlewinning campaign in the mid-60s. He might have spent his career outside Scotland but was always fiercely patriotic. The
Lawman famously spent the day on the golf course when England won the World Cup but was on the pitch and scoring when Scotland beat the champions 3-2 at Wembley a year later.
A special player who scored an incredible 237 goals in 404 appearances at club level and 30 in 55 caps for the national side.
It’s those memories Law and everyone else will cling to now as he vows to soldier on like he always has.
It’s especially tough for Law given he’s seen so many of his friends and peers suffer a similar fate. His United pals Sir Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles and John Fitzpatrick, Scotland team-mates such as Billy McNeill and Bertie Auld.
He recently said: “It seems to be the price we paid for playing football in those days. I’ve spent days crying over what dementia has done to my former team-mates.”
The tough kid from Aberdeen remains, though.
Law said: “I know the road ahead will be hard, demanding, painful and ever-changing, and so ask for understanding and patience as this will not be an easy journey, especially for the people who love you the most.
“As a family, we have been offered support by Alzheimer’s Society and have chosen to fundraise for the charity to help support its crucial work.”
To donate to Denis Law’s fundraising page visit justgiving.com/ thelawman